Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Athletic Performance?

Just how important is diet and nutrition to performance? It can be the difference between winning and loosing. It can be difference between a quick recovery or a slow recovery marked with colds and infections. It can be the difference between being able to continue to sustain a vibrant competitive body for long time, well into your 80’s.

Performance enhancing supplements are just that supplements. I am talking about drinks, powders and pills that may contain caffeine, beta-alanine, L tyrosine, L glutamine, L cysteine. L arginine, d-ribose and a long list of other ingredients. They may help get you through an event and may even help improve your performance during the event but most have little influence on overall health. As you know I make a great nutritional drink mix and you could literally do a 10 day fast with it and improve your health, however, even Vive is not more powerful than a very good diet.

What would happen if you have an optimal diet that maximizes your bodies real potential and you then add an enhancing supplement like Vive Shake? You will take the next step into sustained, increased performance ability and optimal body function.

Most non-professional athletes don’t think very much about their diet except getting enough protein and or carbs (You may be the 1 in 500 that do care). Many have gone the Keto or Paleo route, which is not my discussion today. This discussion isn’t about macro-nutrients percentages; carbohydrates, fats and protein. I want to talk about the nutrients that fuel our metabolic system, build a powerful body and help the body function on an optimal level.

Most athletes consume the typical America diet rich in processed foods and excessive animal proteins (pizza, burgers, fries, chips, crackers, pastries, fried foods, a lot of restaurant food, wings, dairy, grain fed beef, pork) with an occasional healthy choice. They focus more on protein, and what I call event focused foods, drinks and supplements: drinks with electrolytes and carbs, power bars, and performance enhancers like beta alanine, L tyrosine, L carnotine, L arginine and caffeine. These are fine for the event but do little to really enhance the bodies ability to provide optimal performance over a season. Many of the amateur to semi-pro athletes I encounter have some serious health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and more. Many have problems with colds, respiratory infections and slow recovery. They fuel the body for an event but not for optimal life. Friends, it all about the diet!!

Professionals tend to understand the difference diet makes. They have learned that nutrition is important to performance. It can mean hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars of additional income. Look at Tom Brady’s diet and routine. Many pro athletes have even gone Vegan or Vegeterian because of its tremendous anti-inflammatory and health building benefits. I am not saying you must go vegan to be a healthy athlete. I am saying you need to make a conscious effort to eat the most unprocessed, most nutritious and most anti-inflammatory foods possible.

A few of the many pro athletes that understand the influence of aplant based diet. What do they eat?

Carl Lewis, Olympic Gold Medalist

Lizzie Armistead, Pro Cyclist

Mark Cavendish, Pro Cyclist

Levi Leipheimer, Pro Cyclist

Prince Felder, Pro baseball,

Venus Williams, Tennis,

Serena Williams, Tennis

Robert Parish, NBA

Tom Brady, NFL Quarterback

David Carter NFL Lineman

Patrik Baboumain, Profesional body builder, strongman

Scott Jurek, Ultramarathoner (ran 165.7 miles in 24 hours)

Tony Gonzales, NFL Tight end

Bill Pearl, Mr Universe (body builder)

Hannah Teter, Snowboarder, Olympic Medalist

It takes a lot of different vitamins and minerals to create clean energy, repair and build tissues, keep immune function high and keep every organ functioning at peak capacity under the rigorous demands of athletic performance. It takes a lot anti-oxidants to reduce the damage from oxidation created by the metabolic system. These powerful nutrients do not come from processed foods and the typical American diet. The best and most powerful nutrients and anti-oxidants come from plants!!

I had the opportunity to work at a cycling event 4 years ago. As many riders from the 80 mile mountainous ride were coming in, one serious cyclist from Colorado came to our booth and said “I need calories, please anything”. Obviously, we hooked him up with a Viveshake. He chugged it and then another half of one 10 minutes later. He explained that 15 miles back he had bonked (depleted water, glucose and glycogen stores causing extreme muscle weakness) coming up the last hill. Can bonking be prevented or delayed nutritionally? Yes absolutely! So what caused him to bonk? To little sugar, too much sugar from a gel, not enough vitamins and minerals to create energy? Not enough water or B vitamins to release fat stores for energy? It could be any of them and all of them.

You cannot overcome a nutritionally poor diet with supplements. However you can supplement a nutritionally rich diet and increase performance potential. Refined and processed foods are nutrient thieves. They deplete your body of more nutrients than they provide.

The contents of the email or written communication are not medical advice and should not be considered as such! This blog is for informational purposes only. Please consult with your physician or health care provider if you have medical issues and before changing your diet or lifestyle or taking herbal or dietary supplements. Never start an exercise program with getting your doctors approval. Never quit taking medications unless advised to do so by your doctor. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs.

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Published by Wallace Bishop I.N.H.C, C.N.C.

In 2006, Wally was a morbidly obese man who weighed over 450 pounds and had many health problems. By improving his nutrition and adopting holistic healthy living principles, Wally was able to lose more than 220 pounds. By adopting these natural holistic principles he reversed many health problems including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, lymphedema, arthritis and sleep apnea.
Today, Wally is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Certified Nutritional and Wellness Consultant and is the owner of Wellness With Wally, a Nutrition and Health Coaching Service.
Wally is actively involved in local and national health promotion efforts. In addition, he works with community organizations and corporations as a speaker and educator.
Wally’s Achievements
• Author of over 300 articles on diet, nutrition, weight loss, sports nutrition and healthy living principles.
• Regular contributor to local and national magazines and health related blog sites.
• Author of “Maximize Your Life, Renew Your Mind, Body, and Spirit.”
• Creator of the 12-week health and wellness course, “Unlock Your Health Potential,” which has been taught at local companies over the past 4 years.
• Wally has given over 250 presentations regarding health, fitness, wellness and nutrition.
• Wally has been a featured guest on NPR, CBS and Fox News stations. As well as being invited to provide expert health opinions on various radio programs.
• Wally has been instrumental in the development and implementation of Health and Wellness programs for companies including a Fortune 500 company.
Additionally, Wally provides a variety of class formats (ranging from thirty minute to one-hour classes to full 12-week courses) for businesses that are looking for ways to encourage their employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. Improved employee health and wellness has a positive impact on employee attendance, work efficiency, quality of work, lower health care cost and overall associate happiness thus increasing a companies overall bottom line.
View all posts by Wallace Bishop I.N.H.C, C.N.C.